Potholes are annoying and dangerous. Now they’re also political
- Written by: Weekend Times
In Victoria, potholes have become a hot issue in the lead-up to the state election in November.
According to National Transport Research Organisation, Victoria has the worst pothole problem in Australia.
Potholes can damage a vehicle’s tyres, wheels, suspension, undercarriage and more. The increase in heavy vehicles on Australian roads has worsened road deterioration. Climate change is also playing a role.
This week, the Victorian government announced an extra $352 million to double its pothole-repair target to 500,000 by the end of January 2027. It said the investment would be partially offset by delaying three planned level crossings by a year.
The Coalition has separately promised $5 billion over four years for road maintenance, including a target of one million pothole repairs.
Potholes – of all things – are suddenly a hot political issue.
How bad is the problem?
The national Snap Send Solve platform states road and pothole problems have increased 27% nationally in the year to June 2026.
As the name suggests, it’s a community-based snapshot of potholes, not a comprehensive pavement-condition survey, so it cannot tell us precisely how much Australian roads have deteriorated.
Current national road-condition data is limited and inconsistent, which makes it difficult to make a reliable state-by-state comparison.
However there is anecdotal evidence and considerable media coverage suggesting the issue is worsening across much of Australia.
State and territory governments generally manage major arterial and state roads, while local councils maintain most local roads. The federal government also provides significant road funding but usually does not directly maintain roads.
What causes a pothole?
By analogy, a pothole is usually not the disease. Rather, it is the visible symptom of deterioration occurring within the road pavement.
Most road pavements are layered structures featuring a top asphalt layer or bituminous surface that sits over supporting layers of crushed rock or other materials. These in turn spread traffic loads and reduce the stresses transferred to the natural soil below.
Over time, asphalt can crack because of heavy traffic, ageing of the bitumen that binds the aggregate together, temperature changes, construction defects or movement in the underlying layers.
Once cracks form, water can enter the pavement. The water can then weaken the materials beneath the surface and also damage the bond between the bitumen and aggregates of asphalt.
Traffic repeatedly stresses this weakened area. Material starts to loosen, the surface breaks away and a pothole develops.
Once a small hole forms, deterioration can accelerate quickly.
This is why potholes can seem to appear suddenly after wet weather even though the damage may have been developing for months or years.
Local geology can add another factor: moisture-sensitive soils, including expansive clays in some regions, can shrink or swell and contribute to pavement movement and cracking. Our recent research using climate records from more than 450 Australian weather stations shows pavement temperatures vary substantially between regions.
This matters because temperature influences asphalt ageing, deformation and cracking, reinforcing the need to design and maintain roads for local climates.
Vehicle type also has an impact: heavy trucks place much greater demands on pavements than ordinary cars.
Climate change can add further stress, as higher temperatures affect asphalt ageing and deformation, while more intense rainfall can accelerate moisture-related deterioration.
Why are they so hard to repair?
Not all pothole repairs are the same.
When a pothole creates an immediate safety hazard, crews may need to patch it quickly. That restores a safer surface but does not necessarily address deterioration beneath or around the hole.
If the underlying layers of the road pavement have become weakened by water, movement or loss of support, simply filling the hole at the surface may only provide a temporary solution.
For a longer-lasting repair, loose and damaged material needs to be removed, the area properly prepared, and suitable asphalt placed. Critically, it must then be well compacted and sealed.
If deterioration extends into the deeper pavement layers, those layers may also need to be repaired or reconstructed.
Major resurfacing and rehabilitation generally need warmer, drier conditions to produce durable results.
What can be done?
The most effective strategy is prevention. Small cracks can be sealed before water penetrates, drainage can be maintained, ageing surfaces renewed and weak sections rehabilitated before extensive failure occurs.
Materials matter too.
Our research found asphalt incorporating recycled concrete, reclaimed asphalt pavement and recycled glass has strong stiffness, fatigue life and moisture-resistance performance. Several other sustainable materials have also shown potential to improve asphalt durability.
Some recycled materials are already being used in Australia, although the permitted materials and proportions are controlled by road authorities.
Greener does not automatically mean more durable. The challenge is designing materials that deliver both environmental and long-term performance benefits.
Moving towards prevention
Emerging technologies can help us intervene earlier, too.
AI-based image analysis, remote sensing, sensors and climate-informed predictive models could provide reliable, up-to-date data to monitor the condition of roads.
To a limited but growing extent, some Australian road agencies and councils are using vehicle-mounted cameras and sensors, with AI helping to identify potholes, cracking and other defects. More advanced predictive systems are still largely being trialled and developed.
We probably cannot build a completely pothole-free future, but we can move from reactive repair towards predicting and preventing them more effectively.
Some of my research has received funding from organisations such as Sustainability Victoria, the Victorian government, and local government and private-sector infrastructure partners.
